The risk of this opportunistic bacterium lies in its ability to survive and spread; it is found naturally in the environment, in lakes and rivers, and has more than 120 species. One of them, P. aeruginosa, is primarily responsible for causing infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts, as well as the skin, eyes, and ears.

Globally, we are seeing continued growth in carbapenem resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, with prevalence rates close to 20% in Asia-Pacific and high incidence already reported in neighboring countries such as China and Indonesia. In our own context, in Metro Manila hospitals, we have identified high-risk clones of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa, including local variants with concerning resistance profiles. Faced with this reality, we must maintain strict and constant vigilance to detect the spread of these strains in a timely manner and thus minimize, as far as possible, their impact on our hospitals and the health of our population.

That is why at Asiagel thanks to our close collaboration with our international partner Condalab, we facilitate the detection process by relying on ISO 16266:2008 for the detection and counting of P. aeruginosa by filtration, it takes advantage of its ability to produce pigments, including pyocyanin (greenish blue), pyoverdine (yellowish green and fluorescent), and pyorubin (reddish brown).

For analysis, the sample is first filtered and the filter is placed in Pseudomonas CN Agar. The colonies are examined under UV light and, depending on their color, are classified as pyocyanin-producing or non-producing. Finally, they are subcultured in a non-selective medium for confirmation testing, such as King B Medium.